-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A researcher who warned of Hurricane Katrina 's catastrophic damage sued Louisiana State University on Wednesday , accusing university officials of pushing him out of his job over his criticism of the Army Corps of Engineers .

Ivor van Heerden led the investigation into the failure of the levee system surrounding New Orleans , which flooded when the levees failed during the 2005 storm . The inquiry put much of the blame for the disaster on the Corps , which his lawsuit called `` an important funding source '' for LSU .

The suit accuses LSU of putting `` the bureaucratic interests of university officials above the health and safety of millions of people who live in the path of the hurricanes that threaten the Gulf Coast every year . '' It argues that school officials `` engaged in illegal reprisal '' against van Heerden , the deputy director of LSU 's Hurricane Center , because of his critical research and testimony about the levee system .

Van Heerden was told in 2009 that his contract , which expires in May , would not be renewed . There was no immediate response from LSU officials to the complaint , which was filed in a state court in Baton Rouge on Wednesday .

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon , LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said the decision not to renew van Heerden 's job was made before Martin joined the university administration , but he said he had reviewed the issue `` and am confident that the process was handled appropriately . ''

`` LSU can not comment on confidential personnel matters or on pending litigation , but I can tell you that LSU wholeheartedly supports its faculty and values their research , teaching and scholarly publishing , '' Martin said . `` LSU also values its role as the state 's flagship university , and , as such , will continue its work to help preserve Louisiana 's coastline , mitigate hurricane damage and search for ways to protect the state 's coastal populations . ''

Katrina killed more than 1,800 people when it struck near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line in August 2005 . Most of the dead were in or around New Orleans , where more than three-quarters of the city flooded .

Van Heerden has said the university barred him from testifying as an expert witness in a case against the Corps of Engineers . But he served as an adviser to the plaintiffs in that suit , which resulted in a finding of negligence against the agency in November .

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NEW : Chancellor says `` process was handled appropriately ''

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Ivor van Heerden led inquiry into failure of New Orleans levee system

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It put much of blame on Army Corps of Engineers

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He was told last year that his contract will not be renewed